The Book of Abraham: “Except for Those Willfully Blind, the Case is Closed”

Mr. Hauglid’s original Rational Faiths post “Jeremy Runnels and the Book of Abraham” can be seen here.

Introduction

Before addressing Mr. Hauglid’s essay, I would like to note here that I appreciate Mr. Hauglid’s overall respectful tone and approach. Unlike controversial and less respected Mormon apologists, Mr. Hauglid has acknowledged that most of my concerns and questions presented in the Book of Abraham section of the CES Letter are legitimate questions and concerns. Mr. Hauglid is one of the better apologists that I’ve come across and I appreciate his honesty and frankness on several points.

Turning to the Book of Abraham itself, LDS historian, General Authority and scholar B.H. Roberts wrote of the significance of the Book of Abraham translation:

“If Joseph Smith’s translation of the Egyptian parchment could be proven discredited, and proven false, then doubt would be thrown also upon the genuineness of his translation of the Book of Mormon, and thus all his pretensions as a translator would be exposed and come to naught.”

– Elder B.H. Roberts, LDS Scholar and General Authority
Comprehensive History of the Church 2:138

Church leadership and Mormon apologists understand this. This is why the recent Church essay Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham and Hauglid attempt to shift the focus of the Book of Abraham discussion away from an objective physical analysis of the translation of the papyri to a more subjective spiritual analysis of the value of the book. Some examples from each include:

“The veracity and value of the Book of Abraham cannot be settled by scholarly debate concerning the book’s translation and historicity.” – LDS Essay

“A careful study of the book of Abraham provides a better measure of the book’s merits than any hypothesis that treats the text as a conventional translation.” – LDS Essay

“The truth of the book of Abraham is ultimately found through careful study of its teachings, sincere prayer, and the confirmation of the Spirit.” – LDS Essay

“One thing I have tried to do all along in this important research is to make sure my focus on academic results does not in any way get tangled up with my spiritual witness of the Book of Abraham.” – Brian M. Hauglid

“As far as what to do with the Book of Abraham it needs to be clearly stated that no theory about the Book of Abraham can account for all the evidence. When it comes to questions regarding translation, historicity, 19th century influence, etc. nothing is certain. This leaves it open enough for people to study it out in their own minds and come to their own conclusions.” – Brian M. Hauglid

Contrary to Hauglid’s claim that “no theory about the Book of Abraham can account for all the evidence,” nothing could be further from the truth. There is no need for “theories” regarding the Book of Abraham. It is a demonstrably proven fraud. The physical, historical and Egyptological evidence against the Book of Abraham is so damning that the Church and Mormon apologists have been forced to “move the goal posts.”

We’re hearing more subjective claims that the truth and legitimacy of the Book of Abraham can “only be found through prayer,” “the veracity of the book cannot be found in scholarly debate,” and that Joseph may have used the papyri as “catalyst for revelation” instead.

In other words, “translation” doesn’t really mean translation, “the writings of Abraham…written by his own hand, upon papyrus” doesn’t really mean just that, Joseph didn’t really translate from the papyri but it was instead a catalyst for revelation, and don’t let the physical and historical evidence get in the way of the only real way to know the truth about the Book of Abraham: “pray about it.” Your “spiritual experience” is to trump and override all evidence against the veracity and authenticity of the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith’s claims of its origins.

In addition to making statements and claims like the above, the Church and Mormon apologists are doing everything they can to move the physical into the metaphysical and history into spirituality.

An important component of Hauglid’s essay is his disclaimer:

“Suffice it to say, this will not be an exhaustive treatment of Book of Abraham issues, nor will it settle any issues one way or the other.”

Hauglid certainly did not settle any issues nor has he made any real inroads into thinking rationally about the Book of Abraham discussion.

Hauglid surprisingly cites Michael Rhodes, John Gee, William J. Hamblin, Paul Y. Hoskisson and Daniel C. Peterson as credible sources for supporting the authenticity of the Book of Abraham. These men are not credible sources. They’re Mormon apologists whose life mission is to defend Mormonism at all costs. Credible sources would be non-Mormon Egyptologists – free of confirmation bias and Church paychecks – confirming Joseph Smith’s translations. The fact remains that there is not one single respected non-Mormon Egyptologist – past or present – who confirms Joseph Smith’s translations and/or confirms the Church’s truth claims on the Book of Abraham.

Fortunately, we no longer have to go to or rely upon Mormon apologists like Brian M. Hauglid, Michael Rhodes, John Gee, William Hamblin, Paul Hoskisson, and Daniel C. Peterson for answers on the problems of the Book of Abraham. The Church took away their personal megaphones and personal theories and made them obsolete with its July 8, 2014 lds.org essay Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham.

World renowned and respected Egyptologist Dr. Robert Ritner of University of Chicago published his professional response to the Church’s new Book of Abraham essay and claims. I highly recommend reading this response. Dr. Ritner’s response highlights some of the weaknesses in the Church’s essay far better than I ever could. Suffice it to write here that Dr. Ritner concludes:

With the Book of Abraham now confirmed as a perhaps well-meaning, but erroneous invention by Joseph Smith, the LDS Church may well devote some reflection to the status of the text. The former Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, since 2001 renamed Community of Christ, avoids this issue by treating the Book of Abraham as speculative writing by Smith, not as a document of historical truth. In this decision they are clearly correct. Despite its inauthenticity as a genuine historical narrative, the Book of Abraham remains a valuable witness to early American religious history and to the recourse to ancient texts as sources of modern religious faith and speculation. The book still has its uses and significance, but not for the ancient world of Egypt and Abraham.

In addition to Dr. Ritner, the following unbiased experts have reached the following conclusions regarding the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith’s claims:

“The Book of Abraham, it is hardly necessary to say, is a pure fabrication. Cuts 1 and 3 are inaccurate copies of well-known scenes on funeral papyri, and cut 2 is a copy of one of the magical discs which in the late Egyptian period were placed under the heads of mummies. There were about forty of these latter known in museums and they are all very similar in character. Joseph Smith’s interpretation of these cuts is a farrago of nonsense from beginning to end. Egyptian characters can now be read almost as easily as Greek, and five minutes’ study in an Egyptian gallery of any museum should be enough to convince any educated man of the clumsiness of the imposture.” (F.S. Spalding, Joseph Smith Jr., As a Translator, 1912, p. 27) – Dr. Arthur Mace, Assistant Curator for the Department of Egyptian Art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

“It is difficult to deal seriously with Joseph Smith’s impudent fraud. The fac simile from the Book of Abraham No. 2 is an ordinary hypocephalus, but the hieroglyphics upon it have been copied so ignorantly that hardly one of them is correct. I need scarcely say that Kolob, &c., are unknown to the Egyptian language. Smith has turned the goddess into a king and Osiris into Abraham.”
– Dr. A. H. Sayce from Oxford, England

“They are copies of Egyptian subjects of which I have seen dozens of examples. They are centuries later than Abraham. The attempts to guess a meaning for them in the professed explanations are too absurd to be noticed. It may be safely said that there is not one single word that is true in these explanations.” (Ibid., p. 24) – Dr. Flinders Petrie of London University

“It will be seen, then, that if Joseph Smith could read ancient Egyptian writing, his ability to do so had no connection with the decipherment of hieroglyphics by European scholars…The three fac-similes in question represent equipment which will be and has been found in unnumbered thousands of Egyptian graves…The point, then, is that in publishing these fac-similes of Egyptian documents as part of an unique revelation to Abraham, Joseph Smith was attributing to Abraham not three unique documents of which no other copies exist, but was attributing to Abraham a series of documents which were the common property of a whole nation of people who employed them in every human burial, which they prepared…” – Dr. James H. Breasted of the Haskell Oriental Museum, University of Chicago

There is no excuse for 21st century Latter-day Saints to remain ignorant, unclear or confused on the facts and problems of the Book of Abraham. We now have the Church’s official answers and we now have one of the world’s most respected Egyptologist’s direct response to the Church’s new answers. Latter-day Saints can learn more accurate and pertinent data and information in 2 hours of reading both the Church’s Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham essay and Dr. Robert K. Ritner’s direct response than they would in several weeks of mining through obfuscated unofficial Mormon apologetic materials.

In addition to these two pieces, I would refer the reader to just one additional source. The following video is perhaps the best currently available in objectively outlining and explaining the facts on the Book of Abraham, its origins, its contents and the arguments for and against it:

In this response, I do not intend to address the details on the Book of Abraham (again) or the Church’s essay on that subject, as Dr. Ritner’s paper and the above video more than adequately do this. Rather, I will quickly respond directly to several of Hauglid’s claims and statements.

“CES Letter Is Just That – A Letter”

Brian M. Hauglid says…

In reading Runnells’s section on the Book of Abraham (pp. 24-30) I quickly realized that this letter is just that-a letter, and not (meant to be) a fair and balanced essay or treatise that offers differing viewpoints of the issues presented. Those well versed in Book of Abraham issues will readily see Runnells’ reliance on others, especially in his use of graphics. Runnells’s points are primarily short one-sided sound bites with little or no background, context, counterpoint, or elaboration.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

I stated the following on page 5 in the letter I sent to the CES Director:

I’m interested in your thoughts and answers as I have been unable to find official answers from the Church for most of these issues. I’m hoping you’re going to have better answers than many of the ones given by unofficial apologists such as FAIR and Neal A. Maxwell Institute (formerly FARMS).

Later in the conclusion section of the CES Letter, I stated the following:

I then went to FairMormon and Neal A. Maxwell Institute (formerly FARMS).

FairMormon and these unofficial apologists have done more to destroy my testimony than any anti-Mormon source ever could. I found their version of Mormonism to be alien and foreign to the Chapel Mormonism that I grew up in attending Church, Seminary, reading Scriptures, General Conferences, EFY, mission, and BYU. Their answers are not only contradictory to the scriptures and teachings I learned through correlated Mormonism…they’re truly bizarre.

I did not write the CES Letter to be a comprehensive thesis analysis into the contradictory and unofficial pet theories and opinions of unofficial Mormon apologetics. It was simply a letter to a CES Director seeking official answers to the serious problematic challenges to the LDS Church’s foundational truth claims. I already knew what FairMormon and other unofficial Mormon apologist’s answers to these issues were and it was their answers that pushed me further down my faith crisis. It was the reasoning, logic, and answers given me by these unofficial apologists that contributed to my desire to write and ask the CES Director for official answers to the problems. Indeed, as I mentioned in Debunking FAIR’s Debunking:

I really did seek a lifeline in FairMormon in the desperate days of my faith crisis. Instead of being the lifeline that kept me afloat, FairMormon and their answers were instead weights that drowned whatever I had left of a testimony.

Brian M. Hauglid says…

In his letter Runnells identifies, in my view, the two most troublesome arguments against the Book of Abraham: (1) the discrepancy between Joseph Smith’s explanation/translation of the facsimiles and the translation of the facsimiles by Egyptologists, and (2) internal problems with the Abraham text (anachronisms, 19th century influences, etc.). Much ink has been spilled on arguing either a direct translation from the papyri or offering up some other kind of scenario, such as the catalyst theory put forth recently in the Gospel Topics essay. Yet the facsimiles, particularly Facsimile 3, and internal textual inconsistencies bear most directly on Joseph Smith as a translator.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

I take my hat off to Hauglid for his honesty here.

I also very much appreciate Brian’s transparency in sharing the Church’s new Book of Abraham essay link as well.

Kirtland Egyptian Papers

Brian M. Hauglid says…

This could explain why Runnells focuses on the facsimiles but spends no time on the so-called Kirtland Egyptian Papers. These papers are very difficult to sort out in terms of their dating, their relationship to each other, and to the Book of Abraham. Or, perhaps, Runnells was just not aware of the papers.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

I stated the following in the CES Letter:

Egyptologists state that Joseph Smith’s translation of the papyri and facsimiles are gibberish and have absolutely nothing to do with what the papyri and facsimiles actually are and what they actually say.

I find it odd that Hauglid would note my lack of focus in the CES Letter on the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, given that it’s unanimous among both LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists that Joseph Smith’s translations in the Kirtland Egyptian Papers are nonsense gibberish. Indeed, one of the reasons that the Egyptologists know that Joseph Smith’s translations of the papyri are gibberish is precisely because of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers.

Hauglid fails to mention my work in Debunking FAIR’s Debunking (about 900 pages of content!), which is an extension and expansion of the CES Letter, in which I go into meticulous detail where I couldn’t in the CES Letter. I discuss the Kirtland Egyptian Papers extensively in Debunking FAIR’s Debunkinghere but Hauglid’s readers would never know this from reading Hauglid’s essay.

Again, I find it strange that Hauglid would bring up the Kirtland Egyptian Papers to use against me, because the Kirtland Egyptian Papers are actually critical to linking to the papyri and demonstrating Joseph Smith’s fraudulent claim of translating Egyptian. Despite Hauglid’s attempt to mystify and complicate the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, there is no confusion or complexity among respected Egyptian scholars. It’s clear that Joseph’s “translations” in the Kirtland Egyptian Papers is complete nonsense. The Church admitted as much in its new essay:

“Neither the rules nor the translations in the grammar book [Kirtland Egyptian Papers] correspond to those recognized by Egyptologists today.” – LDS Book of Abraham essay

Facsimile Explanations Do Not Match Current Egyptology

Brian M. Hauglid says…

Although Runnells emphasizes that the facsimile explanations do not match current Egyptology, LDS Egyptologist Michael Rhodes has written an article, which argues that Smith’s explanations to Facsimile 2 do correspond to meanings found in Egyptology. However, it should be noted that Egyptologist Robert K. Ritner does not agree with Rhodes’s arguments and conclusions. Interestingly, both Rhodes and Ritner agree on the translation of characters in Facsimile 3.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

Hauglid’s “it should be noted that Egyptologist Robert K. Ritner does not agree with Rhodes’s arguments and conclusions” is an understatement. Kudos to Hauglid for acknowledging Dr. Ritner’s disagreement with Rhodes’ arguments and conclusions.

Rhodes, Dr. Ritner agrees, did great work in translating Egyptian but Rhodes spoils his good work by manufacturing nonsensical symbolism between the confirmed pagan Egyptian details and the fraudulent Smith “translation” so as to “explain” hieroglyphs. The following are some of Rhodes’ rationalizations of Joseph’s incorrect Facsimile 2 claims:

Joseph Smith says that this is “Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God.” This agrees well with the Egyptian symbolism of god endowed with the primeval creative force seated at the center of the universe. The name Kolob is right at home in this context. The word most likely derives from the common Semitic root QLB, which has the basic meaning of “heart, center, middle” (Arabic qalb “heart, center”; Hebrew qereb “middle, midst”, qurab “to draw near”; Egyptian m-q3b “in the midst of”). In fact, qalb forms part of the Arabic names of several of the brightest stars in the sky, including Antares, Regulus, and Canopus.

The apes can represent Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom, as well as the moon, but due to their curious habit of holding up their hands to receive the first warming rays of the sun after the cold desert night as if worshiping the sun at its rising, they are often found in connection with the sun. Besides these solar and lunar associations, apes are also found associated with stars and constellations. Joseph Smith says they are stars receiving light from Kolob, which is in harmony with our understanding of their symbolism in Egyptian.

In his explanation of figure 1, Joseph Smith says that the earth is called Jah-oh-eh by the Egyptians. In Times and Seasons he defined Jah-oh-eh as “O Earth.” This would be reasonable rendering of the Egyptian i 3h.t, “O Earth” (assuming that Joseph used the biblical convention of rendering a Semitic yod with an English J. – Rhodes: The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus, Seventeen Years Later, emphasis added.

It is difficult to take any of this seriously. Joseph Smith’s ideas do not “agree well with Egyptian symbolism”. “Kolob” is not at home here (or anywhere else for that matter), it is a word that Joseph made up. To Joseph, the apes are stars, which Rhodes somehow rationalizes as “in harmony” with “their symbolism in Egyptian”. Nothing is in harmony, any more than anything is “a reasonable rendering of the Egyptian”. Rhodes’ rationalization of Joseph’s “Jah-oh-eh” is preposterous. It is not an Egyptian word, any more than Oliblish; Enish-go-on-dosh; Kae-e-vanrash; Floeese; Kli-flos-is-es; or Hah-ko-kau-beam.

As Dr. Ritner explains in his The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri:

VI. In the central field, a seated figure of Re-Atum (originally with four ram heads and complex crown and scepters) [34] is worshipped by two apes crowned by lunar disks (Smith’s Figs. 1, 22 and 23). A snake appears to the left of Re-Atum, and a slight trace in the upper left may be the remains of the standard legend: [dw ? ntr] p[n]”[Worshipping] th[ is god.]” The earlier copy in “Valuable Discovery,” p. 13, is damaged at this location, and Smith simply copied the heads and shoulders (with jackal extensions) of the double-headed god in the upper register (his fig. 2). In addition, garbled traces of rn n ntr pf ?? (“the name of that great god”) were wrongly duplicated between figs. 1 and 22 of the revised Facsimile 2 published in the Book of Abraham. The central figure is not Kolob in Egyptian terms, nor is he the “first creation, nearest to the celestial, or residence of God.” Rather, the image is the creator god himself, not simply a figure near god. The equation of a day to a cubit is specious, and the Egyptian terms for “earth” do not include the barbaric Jah-oh-eh. [35] Smith discussed Figures 22 and 23 within the explanation of Figure 5: “Kli-flos-is-es, or Hah-ko-kau-beam, the stars represented by numbers 22 and 23, receiving light from the revolutions of Kolob.” As elsewhere, these outlandish names are not Egyptian.

Footnote 35, Dr. Ritner writes:

Apologists Michael Rhodes and John Gee have sought to defend Smith’s explanation of “Jah-oh-eh” as “O the earth” (? ??.t), although this is impossible both by phonetics (with three hs) and sense (? ?.t “arable field” is not used to indicate the whole earth), contra Gee 1992, p. 114, n. 58; and Rhodes 1997, p. 8. Smith vacillated slightly on this interpretation, as noted in Rhodes 1997, p. 8. His statement in Facsimile 2 that the Egyptians name the earth Jah -oh-eh would preclude the vocative “O” that he had once suggested in Times and Seasons 4 (13 November 1843), p. 373. In any case, the proposed Egyptian etymology is impossible.

Apologist Rhodes cemented his status as more Mormon apologist than Egyptologist, when he made the following claim:

So, what do Rhodes and Ritner agree on the translation of characters in Facsimile 3? Dr. Ritner explains in his essay response to the Church’s new Book of Abraham essay:

In Facsimile 3, Smith confuses human and animal heads and males with females. No amount of special pleading can change the female “Isis the great, the god’s mother” (Facsimile 3, Fig 2) into the male “King Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head,” as even LDS author Michael D. Rhodes accepts. Here Smith also misunderstands “Pharaoh” as a personal name rather than a title meaning “king,” so he reads “king king” for a goddess’s name that he claims to have understood on the papyrus!

So yes, Rhodes and Ritner agree on Facsimile 3. They both agree that Joseph Smith was wrong. Not exactly a good thing for the Church’s or Joseph Smith’s translation/Book of Abraham claims.

Book of Abraham Astronomy and Physics

Brian M. Hauglid says…

Runnells points out in his letter that the physics in Abraham 3 is outdated. Some LDS scholars have noticed this as well. John Gee, William J. Hamblin, and Daniel C. Peterson have argued that the geocentric universe described in Abraham 3 can be explained on the basis that Abraham is describing the visible heavens and not the entire universe.5 Astronomers Michael D. Rhodes and J. Ward Moody, on the other hand, suggest that there is harmony between the astronomy in Abraham 3 and modern heliocentric astronomy. I don’t know of any non-LDS astronomers weighing in on this issue.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

“…visible heavens and not the entire universe” is Mormon apologetic spin that does not match and align to the evidence. The Book of Abraham clearly reaches beyond the “visible heavens” and into the universe beyond with verses like:

“And I saw the stars…that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;” – Book of Abraham 3:2

“These are the governing ones [stars]; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me…” – Book of Abraham 3:3

“…that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.”
– Book of Abraham 3:4

“…reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time…to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.” – Book of Abraham 3:9

Hauglid provides a short list of what his favorite fellow Mormon apologists’ theories and claims are but fails to mention what other Mormon scholars have to say about the subject:

Book of Abraham Astronomy and Physics

Brian M. Hauglid says…

Runnells points out in his letter that the physics in Abraham 3 is outdated. Some LDS scholars have noticed this as well. John Gee, William J. Hamblin, and Daniel C. Peterson have argued that the geocentric universe described in Abraham 3 can be explained on the basis that Abraham is describing the visible heavens and not the entire universe.5 Astronomers Michael D. Rhodes and J. Ward Moody, on the other hand, suggest that there is harmony between the astronomy in Abraham 3 and modern heliocentric astronomy. I don’t know of any non-LDS astronomers weighing in on this issue.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

“…visible heavens and not the entire universe” is Mormon apologetic spin that does not match and align to the evidence. The Book of Abraham clearly reaches beyond the “visible heavens” and into the universe beyond with verses like:

“And I saw the stars…that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;” – Book of Abraham 3:2

“These are the governing ones [stars]; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me…” – Book of Abraham 3:3

“…that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.”
– Book of Abraham 3:4

“…reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time…to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.” – Book of Abraham 3:9

Hauglid provides a short list of what his favorite fellow Mormon apologists’ theories and claims are but fails to mention what other Mormon scholars have to say about the subject:

“It is no longer possible to pretend there is no conflict…Scientific cosmology began its leap forward just when Mormon doctrine was becoming stabilized. The revolution in twentieth-century physics precipitated by Einstein dethroned Newtonian physics as the ultimate explanation of the way the universe works. Relativity theory and quantum mechanics, combined with advances in astronomy, have established a vastly different picture of how the universe began, how it is structured and operates, and the nature of matter and energy…This new scientific cosmology pose[s] a serious challenge to the Mormon version of the universe.” – Keith E. Norman, Mormon Cosmology: Can It Survive the Big Bang?, Sunstone 10 (1986), p. 19-23

“According to the Book of Abraham, the patriarch had a knowledge of the times of various planets, “until thou come nigh unto Kolob which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.” One revolution of Kolob “was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.” God’s time thus conformed perfectly to the laws of Galilean relativity and Newtonian mechanics.” – Klaus J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience, p. 79-80, 110

The Book of Abraham clearly reflects a Newtonian world concept. The Catholic church’s Ptolemaic cosmology was displaced by the new Copernican and Newtonian world model, just as the nineteenth-century, canonized, Newtonian world view is challenged by Einstein’s twentieth-century science.

Book of Abraham Anachronisms

Brian M. Hauglid says…

Runnells also picks up on the anachronistic terms “pharaoh” and “Chaldee” in the Book of Abraham as well as the usage of the term “intelligence” in both the Book of Abraham and Thomas Dick’s The Philosophy of the Future State. For the anachronistic “Chaldee” one could go to Paul Y. Hoskisson’s 1991 article, “Where was the Ur of Abraham?” I don’t know of any scholarly treatment on the possible influence of Thomas Dick on the Book of Abraham (or Joseph Smith) other than the wiki article at FAIR.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

I was very surprised to see Hauglid pointing to Paul Y. Hoskisson’s article. Hoskisson’s article is a classic example of working backward on an issue. Hoskisson notes the trouble with locating the Genesis “Ur of the Chaldees” (which is argued to be anachronistic even at Moses’ time) but then attempts to resolve it in novel fashion by citing the Book of Abraham:

First, the Book of Abraham is not the result of numerous transmissions, as is the Bible. Therefore, the term Chaldeans in the Book of Abraham is not likely to be out-of-place chronologically.

Hoskisson is making the explicit assumption that the Book of Abraham is authentic, and proceeds from there. Hoskisson’s article isn’t even apologetic, it’s just speculative theological history. This is a terrible example for Hauglid to use and it almost appears as if Hauglid didn’t even read Hoskisson’s article.

If pointing to articles like Hoskisson’s in defense of the Book of Abraham is among the best that Mormon apologists like Hauglid can do? It’s bad. But when Hauglid thinks controversial and unofficial apologetic organization FairMormon and its Wiki article is a source for “scholarly treatment”? It’s really bad.

Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Should Know More?

Brian M. Hauglid says…

I’m not sure what to do with Runnells’s criticism of Elder Holland’s saying he doesn’t know how the Book of Abraham was translated. Runnells expects that a prophet, seer, and revelator should know more. In my view, that seems to be a subjective matter.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

Why are we calling and sustaining these 15 men as “Prophets, Seers, and Revelators” when they’re doing none of these things?

Elder Holland is sustained as a “Prophet, Seer, and Revelator” and it is part of his “holy calling” and job description to understand the word of God. This is especially true when scripture such as the Book of Abraham is one of the chief faith-destroying stumbling blocks and primary reasons for so many members leaving the Church. So, “a prophet, seer, and revelator should know more”? Absolutely.

And if Holland doesn’t “know more,” he has the authority and obligation as a “revelator” to get answers from the Lord to such a serious faith destroying stumbling block as the Book of Abraham.

“No Theory About the Book of Abraham Can Account For All the Evidence”

Brian M. Hauglid says…

As far as what to do with the Book of Abraham it needs to be clearly stated that no theory about the Book of Abraham can account for all the evidence. When it comes to questions regarding translation, historicity, 19th century influence, etc. nothing is certain. This leaves it open enough for people to study it out in their own minds and come to their own conclusions. Perhaps this is what Runnells has done. Whether he has thought through all the possibilities or not is not my place to judge. It’s a personal decision.

Jeremy’s Response to Hauglid

This is false. The statements and claim that “no theory about the Book of Abraham can account for all the evidence” and “when it comes to questions regarding translation, historicity, 19th century influence, etc. nothing is certain” are incorrect statements and claims.

As mentioned previously, there is no need for theories to account for the Book of Abraham evidence. It is clear to everyone not ensnared in confirmation bias and deep personal investment into the Church’s truth claims that the Book of Abraham is a demonstrably proven fraud.

The evidence points quite clearly to the Book of Abraham being a 19th century fabrication and fraud of Joseph Smith. The papyri-Kirtland Egyptian Papers connection, mistranslated and misidentified/incorrectly reconstructed figures facsimiles, Kirtland Egyptian Papers translation gibberish nonsense, obsolete Newtonian universe claims and obvious anachronisms all point to this.

In fact, the physical and historical evidence is so damning in pointing to this conclusion that the Church and Mormon apologists are now seriously using the bizarre “Catalyst Revelation Theory” in their attempt to move away from the solid physical evidence. However, even that theory collapses completely when you line it up with the physical and historical evidence, which are inescapable and conclusive that the Book of Abraham is a 19th century fabrication and fraud.

Catalyst Theory

Brian M. Hauglid says…

Runnells states that the catalyst theory is a concession to his point that “Joseph’s translations of the [Egyptian in the] papyri and the facsimiles do not match what’s in the Book of Abraham” (p. 30). -Footnote #2

I say nothing about the “catalyst theory” and I reject Hauglid’s attempted framing of “Runnells states that the catalyst theory is a concession to his point…” I reject the catalyst theory 100% and I have never supported or believed that the catalyst theory has any credence or credibility. My above statement means exactly just that: Joseph’s translations of the papyri and the facsimiles do not match what’s in the Book of Abraham.

For those who are uninitiated, the “Catalyst Theory” as pertaining to the Book of Abraham is the theory that, as Mormon apologist William Hamblin explains:

The Book of Abraham as we have it in the Pearl of Great Price was not found anywhere on any of the Joseph Smith Papyri, surviving or lost.

Joseph Smith received the papyri, became interested in Abraham, etc. and…

Thereupon received a unique revelation from God of the translation of an ancient authentic Abraham document = our Book of Abraham.

In other words, translation doesn’t really mean translation. Joseph received a revelation instead after touching/feeling/seeing/being inspired by the papyri. This “revelation” = Book of Abraham. This is completely alien to what I was taught and what I taught others in the Church for 20 years on the Book of Abraham origins. This is completely alien to the physical and historical evidence which clearly shows the catalyst theory to be an unsupported theory and fantasy of those desperately grasping for anything in saving the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith’s integrity and credibility.

Joseph Smith himself clearly and demonstrably believed that the papyri contained the writings of Abraham, and that his translation really was a translation. Until very recently, the Church had taught as much for around 180 years. At the very minimum, the catalyst theory establishes that Joseph at times had no clue about what he was talking about, and that the Lord did nothing to prevent Joseph from misleading the members on this very important subject. Obviously, Joseph’s credibility as a translator must be seriously questioned if one is to believe the catalyst theory. This theory is one example of what I mean by the Church and Mormon apologists’ “moving the goal posts.”

Conclusion

Finding the truth about the Book of Abraham is not mysterious, complicated or impossible. The damning evidence is there for anyone to evaluate. There is a reason why there is not one single respectable non-Mormon Egyptologist – past or present – who confirms Joseph Smith’s translations of the papyri and facsimiles.

The ones who see the Book of Abraham for the fraud it is are the ones willing to put aside their Mormon confirmation bias and really look at and weigh all the evidence and facts. The ones who don’t – the “willfully blind” as Dr. Ritner refers them – hold a mindset and worldview like Brian Hauglid’s:

“One thing I have tried to do all along in this important research is to make sure my focus on academic results does not in any way get tangled up with my spiritual witness of the Book of Abraham.”

A native of Southern California, Jeremy was born in the covenant. A 6th generation Mormon of Pioneer heritage, Jeremy reached every Mormon youth milestone. An Eagle Scout, Returned Missionary, and BYU alumnus, Jeremy was married in the San Diego Temple with expectations and plans of living Mormonism for the rest of his life.
In February 2012, Jeremy experienced a crisis of faith, which subsequently led to a faith transition in the summer of 2012. In the spring of 2013, Jeremy was approached and asked by a CES Director to share his concerns and questions about the LDS Church's origins, history, and current practices. In response, Jeremy wrote what later became publicly known as Letter to a CES Director.

21 Comments

MikeInWeHo
on October 4, 2014 at 8:49 am

This is really good. I like how the Dr. Ritner quote sums it up. The only question I would ask Brian Hauglid is this: What evidence WOULD you require to acknowledge that the Book of Abraham was entirely the product of Joseph Smith, and that until most-recently it was mis-represented within Mormonism as a translation of an ancient text?

For most Mormons the rock-bottom proof of any religious text is a manifestation of the truth of it “by the power of the Holy Ghost.” Traditional LDS apologetics are like a game of intellectual Jenga, dealing with one damning historical fact after the next while trying to keep the whole tower up.

The Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham are not what they purport to be, and everybody not in some kind of denial knows it. This is why I never directly engage in these kinds of debates with true believers. It’s no different than talking about the origins of our world with a young-earth creationist. God bless you for taking it all on though, Jeremy﻿! You are doing some good here.

Have you ever dowsed for water? Do you believe what Egyptology tells you about the great pyramid? How it was built? Why it was built? How about connections with ancient Americas?

You’re right Joseph was not a translator like what I am. He couldn’t read the symbols on the gold plates our the papyri. I am sorry you were taught that, and that you taught others the same. Now if Joseph brought forth both by some other power how do you know if it is right?
Now however you find out if something is true please apply that same method to the other things you believe. Because I don’t think you have, or else you wouldn’t close the case on anything!

All it takes is a simple look at what the book of Abraham introduction used to say…
Before the church realized that it was all a bunch of made up gibberish. “A translation of some ancient records, that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of Egypt – the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus.”.

The church can throw whatever lame explanation they want…it doesn’t matter though because the inspired, canonized, accepted version and heading for almost the entire history of the BoA stated exactly the opposite of what they are now saying.

Even if it was a revelation…why would an all knowing god provide incorrect information in that revelation.

The only way they BoA can work for anyone is to be willfully ignorant and OK with being lied to by the church

The problem here is, in a way, a problem of paradigms. What the church has taught and what people who leave the church believe is that the point of scripture is to accurately retell historical events. That has never been the point of scripture. Scripture is narrative that supports a spiritual message and a spiritual quest. Scripture is the story of us.

So Jeremy is right when he says that the Book of Abraham is obviously false – if by false you mean, not historical. That much is true.

But the takeaway from that should not be “and therefore it is not scripture.” There is no such thing as historically accurate scripture. That was never the point of scripture. I think more mature expressions of faith recognize that, but Mormonism is still young and that’s why people like Jeremy leave the faith when they discover, essentially, that magic isn’t real.

I look forward to the day when the church can shed itself of superstition and literalism and embrace a more realistic and progressive ideal of faith. I believe that is ultimately the path of every faith tradition.

I know that the book of Abraham is nonsense. The book of Abraham being nonsense does not mean the Book of Mormon is false. Trust me I know all of the arguments against it :). I am writing this for people who may be in a faith crisis… I don’t believe that the Holy Ghost has ever told anyone that the book of Abraham is true. They may have felt the Spirit while reading it because of course there might be some truth in it, but that is all. Just like God has never told anyone the doctrine and covenants is true.
Please consider that joseph may have fallen. Everything went to hell when joseph committed adultery with fanny alger. Again I don’t want to turn this into a debate about the Book of Mormon but I am just throwing it out there that if the book of Abraham is false, it does not mean everything else is.

That’s the wrong tool – you can’t pray to learn if a document is historically accurate. If you wish to understand whether or not something is historical, use the tools of history. If you wish to understand the spiritual message, then prayer is appropriate.

But how can I know that the historians are accurate in their histories? How much of so called history is actually part of an agenda. Every historian has their own agenda. Either the Book of Mormon is true or it isn’t. For it to be true it has to be historically truthful otherwise if is a cute allegory.

I understand your viewpoint. I am well verses in many religions. I think Gnostics are the closest to the truth in many ways and Hindus have a ton of truth.
Your assumption that some things are “more mature” has a lot of implications, not the least of these is that there may not be such a thing as absolute truth.
Could I not ask God to know if the Book of Mormon is historically correct? Or is there no answer that I could get that would be trustworthy?

Jeshurun
on October 6, 2014 at 8:57 am

Jeremy,
I admire your boldness in dealing against a revered standard and able to confront your doubts.
In the light of all these misrepresentations of the BoA, I am skeptical on how it will be discarded without affecting the spiritual paradigm of the general memberships. I can’t help but wait in curious anticipation if the Book of Moses will also be scrutinized in the future. This will be more serious because of the impact it will create regarding the mission of H. Father ex. Moses 1:39.

The evidence is very strong that Joseph could not translate ancient languages. However, the church and apologists have only given us the Catalyst theory as the prevailing alternate explanation for what was happening. Personally, I don’t find the Catalyst theory persuasive, and I take a different approach. Let me explain how I, as a committed member of the church, view things.

Inspiration comes to each of us in different forms. Any time the human race evolves from an old paradigm of thought it takes innovation and individuals who can break out of the old ways of thinking and forge new paths for people to follow. Rarely do these individuals invent ideas that are brand new to the human understanding, but most of the time these individuals are able through their charismatic leadership abilities to forge a new path ahead and recruit followers to their cause.

I see Joseph as one of these individuals. With the BoA, he was able to craft a story about an individual (Abraham) who we have little evidence to prove is even a historical figure, and produce a narrative within the writing style of King James scripture. The BoA for me represents the theological evolution of Joseph’s religious experience. What is religion for Joseph, or for any of us for that matter? Religion is a belief system centered around an explanation or story about our experiences with the divine.

Scripture is mankind’s attempt to describe something fleeting and very difficult to put into language. This is my definition for scripture. I don’t see its relevance in providing literal or historical accounts. I see the stories contained inside, and I find that when I imagine myself in the context of these stories that I am challenged to ask questions about what this means for me, and how would I respond if presented with similar situations. The scriptures don’t contain the answers to life’s most difficult questions, they are challenging and uncomfortable on so many levels. The scriptures force me to think and ponder about what kind of a person I should be, and what would God want me to do with my life.

Within this context and definition of scripture, I can find value for the BoA. It’s not a translation, and it is not historical, but it is still valuable to me personally.

I understand your viewpoint.I am well verses in many religions.I think Gnostics are the closest to the truth in many ways and Hindus have a ton of truth. Your assumption that some things are “more mature” has a lot of implications, not the least of these is that there may not be such a thing as absolute truth.Could I not ask God to know if the Book of Mormon is historically correct? Or is there no answer that I could get that would be trustworthy?

Well, I think the problem comes in thinking that God is like a person, and that God speaks to us in human language, with a human-like brain. It doesn’t seem to work like that. People looking for concrete answers to prayer get contradictory answers, always. That’s because we’re using our own feelings like some kind of ouija board. It’s not much different from reading tea leaves, or other forms of divination.

I don’t think God works like that. I don’t think God speaks to us using language. I think there are true principles that ariseout of our spiritual quest, principles of kindness and compassion and love.

I don’t see God as a man in the clouds who answers the tough question. I see God as more of a verb, less of a thing, but at the same time, everything everywhere is God to me. Sorry if that sounds excessively mystical.

All conversion stories are pretty much the same. The feelings are the same if you convert to Islam or Mormonism or Catholicism or Judaism. People describe the same experiences. I think those feelings are natural and help us recognize goodness, but I don’t think they are a specific message from God.

So in other words, if you want to find out what is right for yourself at this time, by all means, pray, ask questions. But that’s not the right tool for finding out answers about the physical world. The historicity of the Book of Mormon is a question that can only be answered by linguistics and historians and archaeologists. But the question of historicity is never a spiritual question.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I’m very intrigued by your descriptions of spiritual feelings and how God communicates, as well as your description of God. I see wisdom in this perspective and I wondered if you might have any suggestions or resources for me, someone who’s working through my own faith transition and leaning toward similar conclusions that you have expressed.

I had my perspective seriously changed by listening to a series of interview on Mormon Stories with the Three Interfaith Amigos, particularly the interview with Rabbi Ted Falcon. This series was immensely transformative in my life and my approach to faith, in the best way possible. It’s an approach that I feel is fully rational while at the same time immensely spiritual and positive.

Thanks, I’ve listened to many Mormon Stories podcasts, but I skipped these ones at the time when I was intensly interested in Mormon History. I think now is a good time to listen to these as I’m searching for more perspective now. Thanks much!

Sorry I don’t know if you will see this but I agree with much of what you have said. I agree that people are receiving “the spirit” in every religion. Call it chi, kundalini, Tao, shakti, reiki, etc etc.

There have been many prophecies from people of many religions, psychic phenomena, telepathy and many events that no one understands.

I believe God is highly personal and speaks the truth according to our understanding, and WE are the ones that add to and take away from what God tells us. My opinion is that the earth is in a type of apostasy, I don’t care if it is Kalki, Maitreya, Jesus, or Ihmam, a mighty and strong one, or what have you, the world could use a prophet that speaks this language of the spirit that can interpret it on an understandable way for Gods children.

What you define is very comparable to Brahman of Hinduism. There is truth to it in my opinion. Anyway I appreciate your input and paradigm and I think it has merit

Thanks very much MinorityofOne. I appreciate you sharing your own concepts or models for God, which I find enlightened. I hope that greater understanding and great universalism will someday be the norm and not the exception. As it is, there is too much “my God is better/greater than your God”, which is really an expression of insecurity.

It’s unfortunate that I haven’t yet found a very thorough work dealing with Joseph’s cosmology and theory of languages, to the degree that they fit well what’s going on in the D&C, KEP, PoGP and Joseph’s sermons. His ideas, though wrong, were very consistent and tied to his hermetic / speculative / neoplatonic intellectual roots.

I mention this because it irks me, when people on either side of the apologetic divide, claim nonsensical gibberish for Joseph’s projects, such as the KEP. They just have their own bizarre logic and background assumptions…

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